A Peaceful Piggy's Guide to Sickness and Death, Sadness and Love

Most children's books sidestep death; this one walks straight toward it with gentleness and practical tools. Kerry Lee MacLean organizes the book into three sections — when someone is sick, when someone is dying, when someone has died — so caregivers can open to the most relevant part rather than reading start to finish. The mindfulness exercises woven through give children something to actually do with their feelings. One thing worth knowing: this is published by a Buddhist press, and the mindfulness framework reflects that tradition. The language is faith-neutral and non-graphic, but families wanting an explicitly Christian grief resource for children should look elsewhere. For those open to a secular mindfulness approach, this is one of the more honest and useful books in this space.